1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an asset security and monitoring system. More specifically, the invention enables two-way communication between a user and a mobile asset for real time tracking and monitoring of the mobile asset.
2. Description of Related Art
Theft of mobile assets (such as vehicles) is an issue that has always troubled asset owners and law enforcing authorities. Sophisticated security mechanisms are being developed to prevent thefts, but thefts and related crimes continue to be prevalent. This is because professional thieves can easily break into conventional security systems. Carjacking, which is theft of a vehicle at gunpoint, is also quite prevalent and law-enforcing authorities face great difficulties in tracking such stolen vehicles. Thus, improved asset security systems need to be developed to prevent theft of mobile assets such as vehicles and related crimes.
A typical vehicle security system comprises sensors attached to different parts of the vehicle. These sensors detect any intrusion in the vehicle and are also referred to as intrusion detection devices. The intrusion detection devices are connected to an alarm system. The security system is operated through a remote control. The alarm system can be armed and unarmed by using this remote control. In case of an activated alarm system, triggering of the alarm indicates any security breach. The alarm may be in the form of sounding of the vehicle""s horn, or flashing of vehicle lights, or transmitting a xe2x80x9cdistressxe2x80x9d signal to the remote control. The owner can immobilize the ignition or the starting mechanism of the vehicle using the remote control on being alerted of a security breach.
These types of security systems have several disadvantages. Vehicle alarms have become so common that they hardly attract attention of the owner or passers-by. Similarity of the vehicle""s horn also makes it difficult to distinguish one alarm system and any other such alarm that may occur in the vicinity. Further, the remote control transmitters usually have a limited power output of about 1 milliwatt (1 mW); this limits the operational range of the transmitter to a few hundred feet. The vehicle owner has to be physically present within this range to arm or disarm the vehicle security system. In addition to the above shortcomings, a conventional vehicle security system only signals a security breach. It does not provide the means to track the vehicle and notify the vehicle owner about its location in case the vehicle is stolen.
More recently, devices have been developed that help in tracking a stolen vehicle. A company providing such a xe2x80x98stolen vehicle recovery systemxe2x80x99 is LoJack of Massachusetts, USA. The LoJack system consists of a transmitter unit installed in a vehicle. In case this vehicle is stolen, the police can remotely activate the LoJack transmitter unit hidden in the vehicle. Once activated, this transmitter unit transmits a silent signal to tracking equipment fitted in police vehicles (such as vans and helicopters) and police stations, thereby, enabling the stolen vehicle to be tracked and recovered.
The LoJack system has several shortcomings. For a successful recovery of the vehicle, the owner has to detect the theft of the vehicle and report it to the police at the earliest. Moreover, the police in that area must have the requisite equipment to remotely activate the transmitter in the vehicle. Further, as the activating equipment has a limited range of effectiveness, the vehicle has to be in the equipment""s range in order to be activated. Finally, the LoJack system is incapable of determining the precise location of the vehicle. Clearly, these shortcomings lessen the probability of a successful recovery of the stolen vehicle.
One way of locating the vehicle more precisely is by the use of Global Positioning System (GPS). The Global Positioning System (GPS) was designed for, and is operated by, the U.S. Department of Defense. The Global Positioning System consists of 24 earth-orbiting satellites that broadcast radio signals to enable a GPS receiver to compute its location. The satellites transmit position and time signals to a GPS receiver installed in the vehicle. The time signals are derived from accurate atomic clocks that are part of each satellite. The GPS receiver then processes this information to calculate its distance from a particular satellite by knowing the location of the satellite and calculating the time elapsed between the transmitted and received signal. This distance, when computed from a multitude of satellites simultaneously, determines precisely the location and velocity of the vehicle. The location determined by the GPS receiver is in terms of the latitude and longitude of the place. The latitude and longitude obtained from the GPS receiver when coupled with a map of the area can give the location of the vehicle in terms of the name of the city, town, street, etc. This information may further be presented by showing the vehicle on an appropriate street-map or a highway-map of the adjoining areas.
GPS technology can be used for tracking of vehicles for security purposes. Furthermore, a GPS receiver when coupled with a wireless communication device offers the potential of being used for remote tracking of the vehicle. Remote tracking of a vehicle is helpful in the recovery of a stolen vehicle. Such systems incorporating a GPS receiver coupled with a communication device are called Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) systems. A typical AVL system consists of one or more security units installed within a vehicle; one or more vehicle monitoring stations; and a wireless communication network. The security unit typically consists of a GPS receiver coupled with a wireless transmitter (in addition to the features available in conventional security systems described earlier). The location data that is obtained from the GPS receiver is combined with additional information obtained from the security system to form one combined signal. The additional information may comprise of vehicle speed, engine characteristics, other trouble shooting data gathered using various intrusion detection devices and other equipment (such as the communication bus) in the vehicle. The combined signal is transmitted over a wireless communication medium, such as a cellular telephone network, to a vehicle monitoring station. The monitoring station receives the signal through a communication device and the combined signal is processed to retrieve GPS data and additional information obtained from the security system.
At the central monitoring station, the GPS data comprising of latitude and longitude obtained from the GPS receiver is coupled with mapping software to obtain the location of the vehicle in terms of name of the city, town, street etc. This information may also be presented by showing the vehicle on an appropriate street-map or a highway-map of the adjoining areas. As the GPS data is sent periodically to the monitoring station, the movement of the vehicle can be tracked on a map. The additional information obtained from the security system is also processed to determine the status of the intrusion detection devices and the xe2x80x9chealthxe2x80x9d (or other essential parameters) of the vehicle. The information comprising the vehicle location on a map and additional data comprising information gathered from the security system is communicated to the owner; this communication to the owner is done by an operator in case of operator-assisted monitoring centers.
The monitoring center can also be automated. An automated monitoring center may comprise a web application or an automated telephone system. In case of an automated monitoring center, the owner can access the web application and retrieve the desired information pertaining to his/her vehicle through the World Wide Web. Further, the web application can also send this information to the user through email. Alternatively the owner may get this information through an automated telephone system.
Onstar developed by General Motors of USA, and TeleAid developed by Daimler Corporation (Mercedes Benz) of Germany, are systems that provide stolen vehicle tracking using built-in GPS technology and other customer services through operator-assisted vehicle monitoring stations. These systems offer subscription-based services that include emergency services, accident assistance, remote door lock and unlock, ride assistance, remote monitoring of vehicle, and other security features. The monitoring station receives signals regarding location of the vehicle and other signals from the security system in the vehicle through a communication device installed in the vehicle. An operator at the monitoring station thereafter conveys information regarding the xe2x80x9cstatusxe2x80x9d or the position of the vehicle as per the service requested by the owner. Since these monitoring stations are managed round the clock by operators, the subscription to such systems is often expensive.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,557,254 and 5,682,133, both assigned to Mobile Security Communications, Inc. of Norcross, Ga., USA, and both titled xe2x80x9cProgrammable Vehicle Monitoring And Security System Having Multiple Access Verification Devicesxe2x80x9d describe vehicle security systems that allow tracking of a stolen vehicle. These security systems comprise a GPS receiver coupled with a wireless communication device in addition to intrusion detection devices etc. The wireless communication device communicates information to a central monitoring station. The central monitoring station in this case may include many operations that are fully automated. For example, when the security system in the vehicle detects an intrusion, the central monitoring station may automatically call the owner. Further, an automated message comprising the location of the vehicle can be transmitted to the owner through the use of a voice unit. The voice unit creates voice output from digitally stored text. The security system also provides the owner with the functionality to remotely control and monitor various operational functions and mechanisms of the vehicle through the central monitoring station.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,320,535 assigned to Navox Corporation of Sherbrooke, Calif., USA, and titled xe2x80x9cVehicle Tracking And Security System Incorporating Simultaneous Voice And Data Communicationxe2x80x9d describes a system for simultaneous and continuous transmission of voice signals along with the location and vehicle security data to a monitoring station. This patent describes a method in which the voice of the owner in the vehicle is transmitted to the central monitoring station. This transmission of voice is in addition to the transmission of GPS and security data retrieved from the vehicle security system. For an effective transmission of GPS and location data along with voice signals, the system filters out a narrow band of the voice signal, centred at around 2500 HZ. The frequency 2500 Hz around which a narrow band is filtered is chosen so as to minimize degradation of the voice signal. A Digital Signal Processor (DSP) then inserts the GPS data and security data from the vehicle to fit within this narrow band created in the voice signal. The combined signal (comprising of voice and security data) is then sent through a cellular communication network to the monitoring station. The data received by the monitoring station is now filtered by a DSP to separate the GPS and security data from the voice portion of the signal. The voice portion of the signal is routed to a communication device so that an operator at the monitoring station may converse with the vehicle""s occupant. A computer in conjunction with mapping software may also process the security data. The computer then displays a graphical representation of a map and the vehicle""s location on such a map.
A vehicle security system using an external monitoring station is GPS2000 that is manufactured by IDC Inc. sold through Omega Research and Development Inc. and others. This system is capable of notifying the owner in case of any security breach. It is also used for remote tracking and control of the vehicle. The owner interacts with his/her vehicle through a central server. The central server may be accessed through the World Wide Web or through a hand held communication device or through an automated telephone system. The server is further connected to a mapping application with digitized maps. This application is used to translate the latitude and the longitude obtained from the GPS receiver to obtain the exact location on the map with respect to the town, the street, etc.
A major disadvantage of the above mentioned systems that utilize GPS and a communication device is that they require a central monitoring station or a web server. This makes the system expensive due to the cost involved in the set up of the monitoring station. Moreover, there is always a running cost involved with the operation of the monitoring station. Furthermore, the owner has to communicate with the monitoring station to obtain information regarding the vehicle. Also, because of the severe computational burden placed on the computer equipment at the vehicle monitoring station, tracking a large number of vehicles in real-time requires a substantial amount of processing power. Operators manage most of the monitoring stations; this adds to the cost of the system and makes it expensive. Therefore what is required is a system that does away with the monitoring center, thereby, reducing the overall cost of vehicle security and tracking.
An object of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art by doing away with the need for a separate monitoring center.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a security and monitoring system that enables real-time two-way communication between a mobile asset and the owner thereof.
A further object of the present invention is to notify the asset owner of certain events. The event may include occurrences such as but not limited to the movement of the mobile asset, activation of alarm in case of crossing a predefined geographic area; in case the mobile asset is a vehicle; speeding of the vehicle or crossing of a predefined geographic area (henceforth called a xe2x80x9cgeofencexe2x80x9d) by the vehicle, activation of alarm of the vehicle etc.
Another object of the present invention is to provide, via a voice user interface, notifications to the mobile asset""s owner on the medium of his/her choice such as but not limited to paging, phone calls, text messages, email etc.
Yet another object of the present invention is to process GPS information in form of latitude and longitude coordinates to obtain precise location information within the vehicle itself using a mapping system located in the vehicle.
A further object of the present invention is to provide the vehicle""s owner with a set of features that he/she can remotely set or activate. These features comprise but are not limited to the motion, speeding or crossing of a predefined geographic area (i.e., the xe2x80x9cgeofencexe2x80x9d) by the vehicle.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a security and monitoring system, which has a speech recognition and text to speech system built in.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a virtual mapping method wherein the user according to his/her preferences designs the maps stored in the asset. Additionally the user has the ability to modify, add or delete any of the locations specified in the defined map.
A further object of the present invention is to use the traffic channel of existing cellular infrastructure to eliminate the need for data aggregation.
Yet another object of the present invention is to enable the mobile asset""s owner to remotely control features of the asset (such as locking and unlocking of doors of a vehicle, immobilizing the fuel supply and/or the ignition system of the vehicle, etc.) by keying instructions or by giving voice commands through his/her communication device.
Yet another object of the present invention is to enable the user to define a permissible geographic boundary or geofence having any shape and size.
The present invention is a mobile asset security system that comprises a GPS receiver, a plurality of intrusion detection devices, a control and intelligence unit and an embedded voice user interface that communicates information pertaining to the vehicle to the owner thereof through a communication network. The control and intelligence unit processes GPS and intrusion information to be transmitted to the owner as text or voice messages over his/her communication device. The GPS receiver helps determine the vehicle""s precise location and this information is then transmitted as text or voice through a communication device connected to the control and intelligence unit in the vehicle. Similarly, the information pertaining to various vehicle features and intrusion detection devices indicating any tampering or intrusion may also be transmitted to the owner of the vehicle. The vehicle owner can control features such as fuel supply, door lock or unlock and ignition immobilize by entering instructions on his communication device or by giving voice commands to the control and intelligence unit through his/her communication device.